The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to leave it up to the International Cricket Council to persuade the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to send the Indian team to participate in the Champions Trophy 2025 which will be held in Pakistan.
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), the budget for the tournament was approved during the ICC meeting that took place in Colombo but topics like the scheduling and format of the tournament were not a point of discussion as per a PCB source.
“It is now up to the ICC how soon they circulate, discuss and finalize the schedule of the Champions Trophy. The PCB for its part in the draft schedule has suggested hosting all of India’s games in Lahore including a semi-final (if India qualifies) and final,” he said.
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Another source has suggested that the PCB has already provided all the details within their expression of interest document for the upcoming tournament.
The report also said that there have not been any formal interactions between the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah during the meeting in Sri Lanka.
The ICC has also allocated additional expenses for the budget to address any issues where the Indian team would have to play outside of Pakistan.
But the PCB has now left it up to the ICC to finalize and announce the tournament schedule and also get confirmation from the BCCI whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan.
The Indian Cricket Board has always maintained the stance that their decision to play cricket in Pakistan would depend upon the central government’s approval.
Most recently, the 2023 Asia Cup which was supposed to take place entirely in Pakistan was forced to switch to a hybrid model with Sri Lanka as the secondary host nation.
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The PCB’s draft has suggested that all of India’s games including the knockouts be played in Lahore and the big match between the two rival nations is set to take place on March 1.
The last time the Indian cricket team played cricket in Pakistan was during the 2008 Asia Cup where they reached the finals but were beaten by Sri Lanka in Karachi.
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